Family: County Warned Multiple Times Before Tree Falls On Kids, Fractures Girl's Skull

WHITTIER (CBSLA.com) — One of two children hospitalized after a tree fell on them as they played in their front yard spoke out on Monday night.

James Castillo, 10, and his younger sister, Andrea, 8, were struck by the tree as it fell at approximately 11:30 a.m. Friday in the 3900 block of Croton Avenue in Whittier. James, who was released from the hospital Monday, suffered a concussion, while Andrea remains hospitalized with a fractured skull.

Andrea was still under supervision in the intensive care unit Monday, having just undergone surgery.

James and Andrea's sister, Aaliyah, was right next to Andrea when the incident occurred.

"I heard a crack, I moved, and the next thing I know, she's stuck under there," Aaliyah said.

James, now at home with his family with a large bruise above his left eye, recalled the event.

"I looked up, and next thing I knew, I was out," James said.

The tree was on Los Angeles County land, and the county admits it was its responsibility to maintain it. The kids' family says they complained to the city at least half a dozen times, stating that the tree was old and dangerous and needed to be cut down.

"My first reaction was anger, you know? A lot of anger," said Paul Benson, the children's grandfather. "I've been complaining to the county yard, you know, that this tree is dead and it needs to be taken out."

James and Andrea's mother, Angela, says that, while she is angry, there will be a time to address that issue. In the meantime, she prefers to focus on her children and the status of her daughter.

"I'm very, very angry, but I cannot even put that into play right now, because I just need to focus on my daughter," Costello said.

Andreas family says they are spending every moment possible with her at the hospital, so that she sees them when she opens her eyes.

"We love her, and it's going to be OK," James said.